Sweet attachment
by wtrbender
Summary: After Aang has been hit by lighning, the gang finds shelter and confessions are made. Now the only thing problem is, is there a firebender that is willing to teach Aang?
1. Sweet attachment

"Painful Confessions"

The sky was beginning to burn crimson and yellow. Not sleeping was beginning to take its toll on the young waterbender. She wanted to let the sweet unconsciousness overwhelm her; but every time it beckoned her with its sweet call, she turned away. She couldn't sleep, not when the person she cared about so much was in her lap, in a dead like sleep. She wouldn't forget what happened to him. Struck dead by cold fire and revived by her sweet touch of life. She decided to break the silence that has conquered everyone. "We need to land soon. Aang needs to be cared for properly."

"There's a spot down there." Sokka pointed to the forest below to left of the bison where the trees made a small clearing next to a cliff. He looked at his sister who was trying to comfort the young avatar, even though she new he was asleep. He could see the pain in her eyes; the same pain that they shared when their mother had been killed. He had never wanted his sister to be that sad ever again. He turned away from her pain-stricken eyes and looked at Toph. She was in a deep sleep leaning against the warmth of Bosco's fur. His attention back on Appa he made his way to the small clearing.

Appa landed with a soft thud. The earth king started to unpack their belongings while Sokka woke up Toph. "Hey, we need you to make an earth tent for us to sleep in. The normal tent we have won't hold all of us. And by the looks of these clouds, I would say it's going to rain today."

Toph groggily opened her sightless eyes. Sokka helped her off Appa to the ground where she was able to examine the environment. She found where the cliff was and started in that direction. She then took her horse stance and raised her fists into the air crating two slabs of rock that joined at the top to form a tent shape. She then placed another large slab of rock in front to seal it off. She left a gap at the top allowing light to flow into the tent. Not that is mattered to her, but she figured the others would want some sunlight. She walked toward the tent and then firmly stomped her foot creating a doorway. "Now if you don't mind, I think I will go back to sleep now." She directed her comment at Sokka with a hint of annoyance in her voice. Sokka took no notice; he figured she was just tired and grumpy.

Katara watched as Toph entered the tent. Sokka went to go find firewood to make some dinner. She grabbed Appa's reins and had him walk over to the tent. She carefully grabbed Aang minding his back and carried him into the tent. She found the earth king feeding Bosco some berries. He had set up their sleeping bags and Toph was already asleep in the corner. She laid Aang down on her sleeping bag. She knew she wouldn't be using it anyways. Aang showed some emotion on his face that made Katara feel like a thorn had just pierced her heart. His eyes were tightly closed and his face looked as if he had just been punched in the stomach with cold sweat running down his pale face. He looked as if he were trying to escape from something.

_I wonder what he's thinking about. He looks like he's being hurt. Hurt more than the lightning. What could be hurting him so badly when he is safe beside me? How could someone do this to him?_

Sokka walked in with the dim sunlight on his back. He went to the center of the tent and prepped the fire. He glanced at Katara who was tearing as she stared at Aang. She tried to hide her tears but it was useless. "He'll be okay Katara; you need some rest, go sleep."

"How can you be so sure? What if something else happened to him and I can't heal him?" She thought to herself, _I don't think I could bear to lose you._ She bent down and cradled Aang in her arms careful of the wound on his back, never wanting to let go. She wasn't aware of Sokka's gaze still on her.

He decided to speak his mind. "Katara, how do you, well, _feel_ about Aang?"

She looked up both shocked and confused about the question just directed to her. She decided to reply, "I don't think I could bear to let him be hurt again." She knew she was dodging the real question her brother had asked her.

He raised an eyebrow at her and motioned with his hand to sit next to him. She lightly got to her feet and walked over to him and sat in the beam of sunlight coming through the small gap in the tent. "I'm not blind Katara," he quick glanced at Toph who was quiet in her corner. "I know you feel something for him, don't you?"

"I don't know. I guess I don't really know what I feel." She couldn't say she loved him as a friend or a brother, and yet she didn't truly think she knew what love felt like. And besides, she didn't even know how Aang felt about her. How would he respond if she said she loved him?

"You know he's crazy about you?" Sokka and Katara turned in unison to see Toph walking over to them. "Every time he gets near you I can feel his heart race, and so does yours…"

Katara blushed. She knew Toph was right. Every time she was near Aang she felt happy and warm inside, as if all her troubles vanished when she looked into his shining eyes. She really didn't know how to describe how great she felt around him so she just turned her head and blushed more. She noticed Momo coming in with his fur soaking wet. She shook it out and curled up next to Aang. This told everyone it had started to rain.

All of a sudden they heard a muffled groan come from Aang. He opened his eyes and sat up, starting to fell the weakness in his muscles. Katara ran over to him to lay him back down. "Katara?"

"Shhh. Save your strength. You've been though a lot and you are still weak. How does your back feel?" Aang made a look of discomfort and Katara knew it must still hut. She bended some of the pure rainwater into her hand and started to heal the wound on his back, then moved on to heal the minor cuts and burns scattered on his body.

Sokka and Toph had nothing more to say so they went to their sleeping places and let sleep engulf them while Katara was healing Aang. They also knew it would give the two a bit of privacy. Sokka let out a loud snore that assured Katara he was asleep.

Aang sat up again after Katara had healed the last burn on his left foot. She smiled at him. She could tell it had helped. Now all that as left was a few cuts and a large scar on his back. Katara started to mend his clothing as best she could, although she knew they were beyond repair.

"Katara, I need to tell you something." Aang said nervously. He had many things he wanted to say and didn't know where to begin. "I didn't master the avatar state."

"What?" she replied, putting down his clothes to pay full attention to him.

"Guru Pathik said I needed to let go of all my earthly attachments in order to let my pure cosmic energy flow. And that attachment…was you. And I just couldn't let you go." He grabbed her hand and looked deeply into her icy blue eyes. "And I never will, never again. I love you Katara. I loved you since the day you freed me from the iceberg. Nothing in the world means more to me than you." Aang felt as if the largest weight on him was set free.

Katara stared at Aang. _He was willing to choose me over the avatar spirit? Love? Such a powerful word. He must be stronger than I thought to be able to admit that._ Katara blushed deep red. She now knew how she felt about Aang. "I love you too." She grabbed the back of his head and kissed him on his lips, a kiss that seemed to not last long enough. Aang was overjoyed that Katara loved him back. He leaned in and kissed her again just to savor the moment more.

The two were so busy they didn't see Sokka wake up, look over his shoulder, and grin with delight.


	2. Fire in the Forest

"Fire in the forest"

Sokka rolled over and went back to sleep. He figured he shouldn't ruin the moment. Unfortunately, _he_ didn't have to. Toph woke up and immediately killed the moment. "So what's for dinner?" She scuffled her feet to see where everyone else was. As soon as she did, she remarked, "never mind, I wouldn't want to interrupt anything.

Aang and Katara blushed. Katara lay down next to Aang and decided she was ready to go to sleep. She was both happy and confused at the same time. _I wonder if how Aang and I feel will change anything. Will Sokka or Toph treat him differently? Will they treat me differently? Will I feel the same around him?_ The questions buzzing in her head made her drift into sleep.

She was standing next to a river. As she looked around, she saw through a patch of trees the tent she was currently in. As she started to walk toward the tent, she froze with horror as she saw a dark figure shuffle in the shadows. She stood there, frozen to the ground. The figure didn't move. As she stepped forward, a girl approximately her height stepped out, her face covered with shadows. "Hello." Katara managed to say. The girl stepped toward her and snapped her fingers, revealing a small flame. Katara, now frightened, ran away from the stranger.

She ran faster and faster, but the more she ran, the farther from the tent she appeared. Figuring running was no longer an option; she stood to face her opponent. She remembered the river and sent a whip at the girl. Finding only when the water made contact with her skin, she disappeared. Katara looked around ready for a fireball to come at any moment, but it never came. She turned around to see the sun rising on the horizon turning the sky a shade of pink and red. She stared at the sunrise, and let the flames from the sun dizzy her, until she was surrounded by flames.

The river and forest gone, she was in a prison of fire. She thought she was alone until a figure stepped thought the fire. "Who are you?" She screamed. "Katara" whispered a familiar voice. "Katara wake up!" She snapped back into reality sitting strait up.

She found Sokka sitting in front of her. "Are you okay? You were twitching and saying things in your sleep."

Katara looked around. They were the only two in the tent. Apparently she had slept for quite a while. "I'm fine. Where's Aang?"

"He went outside to get some fresh air."

Katara got up, not bothering to reply to Sokka. She saw him lying on Appa's giant white and gray leg. She walked over to him to see that he was smiling like nothing had even happened. "So what do we do now?" Aang asked as he saw her approaching.

"I think we should stay here a few more days. You still have a lot of recovering to do."

Aang sighed and went back to daydreaming. Katara decided they were going to need some food and water. She grabbed Sokka's bag and decided to travel into the forest and explore a bit. Her dream stalking her thoughts, she pushed it away and went into the woods. After about 20 minutes she found a river. She quickly replenished her water pouch. Then she traveled down the river to find a few apple and pear trees and some bushes colored in raspberries. She knocked down a few with a quick whip of water and stuffed them into her bag. She slung the strap over her left shoulder and began to head in the direction of the camp.

She froze. She could see the camp in a gap in the trees. She was exactly where she had been in her dream. She looked around for any movement, her mind filling with her dream. She looked behind her over the tree tops. The sun was setting. _It was only a dream. It's only a coincidence. I should just go back to camp._ She then began hesitantly back. As she was walking, she still had her hand in a position to water-whip the first thing she saw move. _Why am I so afraid? It was only a dream. I guess I'm a bit jumpy after everything that has happened._

Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure move. Instead of whipping it, she froze as the flame flew from the girl's fingers as she snapped. Katara started toward her, in a friendly manner. "Hello." She said plainly, "Who are you?"

The girl stepped out into the dying light. She had medium-length black hair with a red strand on the left of her face. Instead of up in a bun it was allowed to hang freely, not something Katara had really seen in the fire nation girls she had met Her eyes were a golden yellow that reminded Katara too much of Azula. She was wearing what seemed to be an earth kingdom outfit with short sleeves and long green pants along with a pair of slip on shoes. As Katara looked more closely she had a scar on her right hand in the shape of the fire nation insignia. "My name is Arzin. I would like to teach Aang firebending."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N-I am so sorry this took so long. I have had a hectic week and had no time to type. I am sorry for any grammar/spelling errors. Please review!**

"The Tale of Arzin"

Katara looked into her eyes and glared with hatred. _How could she possibly believe that I will trust her? After all that fire nation has done to me! When I thought a certain firebender had changed, he went and betrayed me. I will never trust another firebender again!_ She released a water-whip that was blocked by a small sphere of fire. She expected Arzin to fight back, but she merely leaned against the nearest tree. "I'm not here to make trouble." Katara thrust out yet another whip that was again evaporated by a sphere of fire. She stepped closer and looked Katara strait in the eye, "Believe me, I don't want to hurt you."

Just then, Aang, Sokka, and Toph all came through the trees to see what all the commotion was. Katara instantly ran to Aang and took a place to his right. Then Sokka asked, "Who are you?"

Arzin sighed, "My name is Arzin. I want to teach Aang firebending. I don't mean any harm."

"She's telling the truth." Everyone looked at Toph who had apparently sensed no reason to believe she was lying. "Her heart rate is normal. I think we can trust her."

Katara took another look over of Arzin. She still didn't want to trust her, but it appears she had no choice. Aang leaned in a little closer to Katara. "Do you really think she could teach me firebending?"

"I don't know. I think we need to know a bit more about her first before we do anything." She then directed her comment to the firebender. "Just follow us." She then began to make her way back to the tent with the rest following her. She entered the tent and sat on her sleeping bag; Aang taking a place next to her, Sokka and Toph sitting opposite them. Arzin came in last and sat where everyone could see her. "The first thing I want to know is how you know Aang's name." Katara had been wondering this when Arzin announced she wanted to teach_ Aang._

Arzin shifted her position a little, and then began to tell her story. "Well, lets get the basics out first. My name is Arzin, I am 16, I am a firebender, but I lived in an earth kingdom town. And to answer your question, I heard of Aang through my grandfather, Kouzon."

At this Aang looked shocked. Kouzon, his friend, was still out there. Aang looked back at Arzin to let her continue.

"My grandfather liked to tell me about the adventures he had had with you. I was always fascinated by them; I was always telling him that I wish I had been there. Then I would need to go to school. There, I learned firebending, and we were always taught that the airbenders were horrible people. When I went to speak out, I was always looked at funny. My teacher got so mad at me for defending what my grandfather had told me, she said I was being disloyal to my nation. She said to remind me I would never be able to go anywhere without knowing I was in fact a fire nation citizen. That day after school, she gave me this scar of the fire nation insignia.

When I told my mom about what she had done to me, she said I deserved it. She said that Kouzon was a liar, and I wasn't to believe anything he said. That night, I ran away. I went to live with my grandfather, and also dropping out of school. He taught me advanced firebending and continued to tell me about the avatar. Then there was a fuss in the town. There was a messenger hawk heading for the palace. After a few minutes, Fire Lord Ozai, appeared and announced that the avatar had returned. He stated that he was an airbender and he was now the only threat to the fire nation. Anyone that was to capture him and bring him to the palace would receive 500 gold pieces, and anyone who was found helping him would be killed.

My grandfather told me he didn't know how, but it must be Aang. He told me that to his knowledge, Aang had not yet learned firebending. He said he would have left himself, but he was too old. It was then that I decided I wanted to teach you.

We continued with our lessons for about two months. After that, he said I was ready to begin lightning bending. After another six weeks of practice, he sent me off. He brought me to one of his friends who was younger than himself. We were all against the war. His friends name was Ezire. He gave me this red strand. He said that if I kept this, then he would know it was me and he would help me if ever I were to return. I then got some earth nation clothes from a merchant in a town in the earth kingdom. I spent weeks trying to find a house that would accept me. I finally found a house that was occupied by a couple that had just lost their son in the war. I entered with a fake name and a story that broke them into tears. They took me in with open arms.

I lived with them for about a month and a half. They cared for me as if I were their own daughter. I would often at night go into the woods and practice my fire and lightning bending, so I knew I hadn't forgotten anything. I then heard that you were in Ba-sing-se. I explained to the family that I had family there and wished to find them. They were sad to see me go, and I felt horrible for needing to lie to them. But I knew that teaching you was more important than my feelings for the family. So I walked away with my head held high.

When I finally arrived in Ba-sing se, I lived in the lower ring in a house that could have been passed as a junk heap. I then saw a poster flying in the air. I climbed atop the nearest building and caught it. Apparently you had lost your bison, I then went on a search for it hoping to return him to you and find you there. I looked for a long time; my mind was screaming at me give up and return home. But I pushed the thoughts away; I knew that teaching you would benefit the entire world. And after seeing how many people were losing their lives and running from the fire nation, my determination only grew. Awhile later, I saw a giant bison flying over the city walls; I knew it had to be you.

I left the city and went in search of you, following the direction I saw the bison flying in. Then, while searching the woods, I found your camp. I didn't want to barge in, knowing the hostility that would surly fly at me. So I decided to wait until I could get one of you alone, preferably Aang. I noticed that Aang spent most of his time with the waterbender. (She still didn't know anyone else's name) So I decided that when I found her, I would approach her peacefully and offer my service."

Arzin then took a deep breath at the completion of her story. The gang looked at Toph who announced. "She is telling the truth. Every word." Arzin looked relieved that she had apparently passed the lie detector test.

Katara then motioned for Arzin to stay put and for the rest to follow her. They went to stand beneath a tree and began to discuss whether they would accept Arzin or not.

"Well, what do you think of her?" Katara started.

"She seems to want to help, why not." Aang suggested.

"I don't think she seems all that bad." Sokka said with a hint of enthusiasm.

"Well, she wasn't lying about her story. That's all I have to say." Toph stated imagining the fun in the morning waking up two people with her earthbending.

Katara looked at the others who had apparently made up their minds. "I guess she can stay, as long as I am able to monitor when she is with Aang in case of any burns or if teaching somehow goes wrong. We need to remember, she hasn't taught anyone before, so she may need son pointers."

So it was decided, Arzin would teach Aang and Katara would make sure everything stayed safe. Then they all jumped at the Earth king and Bosco parting some bushes with a basket-full of food, "What did we miss?"


End file.
